AH

Excellent!

Rezensiert am: 12.12.2013

I'm a big fan of Brandon Sanderson's work but I was a bit surprised when I noticed that this book was more of a 'superhero' (or supervillain) story. While I am a huge comic fan, it's not something I thought I would enjoy as a book. But it's Sanderson so I gave it a try.

I was very pleasently surprised. I really really enjoyed the book. The main character, though young and a little naive, is really likeable and his quirks, like using nonsensical metaphores (which could have been annoying) actually are sort of endearing. While the story is, at it's core, rather dark, it never feels too heavy or depressing. Sanderson finds a way to write a story of oppression and revenge in a fresh way, giving the reader interesting characters that aren't just limited to the main hero and villain.

I will not spoil the ending and while I did sort of see it coming after a key hint is dropped, I will say I really did enjoy it and the things it potentially means for the next books.

The speaker also does his job really well. He has a great reading voice and it's easy to recognize the different characters. While he does the important accents and in the book, they never become to heavy or too distracting. Job well done!

For fans of Sanderson who might be on the fence because of the subject of the story, fear not, it is worth it. For people who want to give the book a try but are weary of the 'superhero' matter, give it a shot. While superpowers are key to the story it actually isn't something that is distracting or feels forced. It works within the story and in the end leaves you with something that should have you looking forward to the next books.

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8 Leute fanden das hilfreich

Good story, bad audio editing

Rezensiert am: 08.11.2013

Anyone who has read The Farseer Trilogy and enjoyed it, will most likely enjoy this series as well. If you've not 'read' The Farseer Trilogy, I suggest you start there to get the full background on the characters in this series.

While I greatly enjoyed the story and the development of the Fool and Fitz (as well as the other characters), I find that the actual audio lacks. Nick Taylor is an excellent reader, but even professionals make mistakes... and unfortunately the editing department didn't feel the need to remove them. So it happens quite a few times that sentences will be repeated because the narrator realized that he placed the emphasis on the wrong words. In a perfect world the listener would not notice because the post production team would remove one of the doubled sentences. They did not and unfortunately, for me, it breaks the flow of the reading. I can understand missing one or two occasions when this happens, but unfortunately this books is full of these mishaps or at least enough of them that it become noticeable.

Is it still worth buying? Yes, especially if you've enjoyed the other books. The repetition IS irritating but not enough to not want to finish the story. However, if you do have time to read, a paperback version of the book might be better.

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2 Leute fanden das hilfreich

good but...

Rezensiert am: 26.04.2013

First of all this book is not for kids. And probably not for some adults either. The level of violence is quite high in certain parts.

That aside The Child Thief is not a bad book. Far from it. The idea, as dark as it may be, is clearly rooted in the original Peter Pan, making this a bit of an 'what if' story. The main character Nick, is tossed into a situation that is clearly above him but lives and grows into it. Without giving too much details I will say, the concept and the idea behind the story, the base of the story itself would have made this a great book.

So why 3 stars. I would have given it 3.5 if I could have. My 'issue' is with the details. The book is very well written, language wise, and well read. However while it starts out strong, giving a lot of background to the characters and their mindsets, I found the ending (or more like the second half of the book) lacking the details I wanted. Sure we get some of the back stories of the Devils (this books version of the lost boys) but not enough. The little information we get makes me want to know more, but the lack of anything further makes them more ghosts than actual characters. Tiger Lily (who's name in the book I can't remember right now) has such potential but she is never fleshed out.

So in the end you have a book with a lot of really great characters that seem to be stuck in the design stage; they are cool but there's just not enough to them to satisfy me as a reader. It's a bit of a shame because the characters that are fleshed out are really quite well written.

I won't spoil the ending, but I will say that I expected something else. I think something else would have worked better. The way the story resolves for Nick I can live with but everyone else... I just felt the ending was weak, given the build up.

Still I don't regret buying this book. It IS entertaining, just not as much as I had hoped.

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2 Leute fanden das hilfreich

Good but...

Rezensiert am: 18.10.2012

While I really enjoyed the first book, this unfortunately suffers from the curse of being a middle book (or now a 2 out of 4 books). New characters are introduced and fleshed out, which is nice and they are interesting characters, but the ones established in the first book, including Gair, appear more as foot notes. Gair plays a part in this book but he really only has scenes towards the very end and even then it's not really satisfying. You learn but little about his character and while he does start a new journey (both figuratively and physically) and there are dramatic events, the story falls a little flat. He feels flat in this book.

Teia is a great addition to the story and (or but, depending on how you see it) she is, to me, the focus of this book. While Teia's journey is dramatic and enjoyable, it also is essentially the whole book. Almost everything is connected to her, her clan and the speaker of the clan, who is in her own right a brilliant character. For readers wanting more of Gair, more of his story, there's little pay off. Many of the characters from book 1 appear just as small side stories towards the very end of the book. While their stories seem important, it feels a little forced.

The new characters (mainly Teia and to a certain extent Cecil) are good, solid characters. They are likeable and you root for them. Their stories matter.

Overall, its a book worth listening to, but it is a book that pushes a lot of new content at the cost of the original characters. If you are aware of that, you will enjoy it. This is not a book about Gair and his story. He just happens to be in it as well. This book is about Teia. And that's ok because her story deserves just as much telling as Gairs.

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für Fans der Wissenschaft aber ohne Doktortitel

Rezensiert am: 23.08.2012

Obwohl manche Dinge in diesem Buch überaltert sind (sprich, die Wissenschaft ist weiter) ist es doch spannend. Bryson beginnt am Anfang und arbeitet sich durch die Epochen bis heute.

Das Buch hat, wie's im Titel steht, etwas von fast allem. Ich persönlich hätte mir an manchen Stellen mehr Details gewünscht, bin aber auch auf spannende neue Dinge gestossen von denen ich vorher nichts wusste. So erzählt Bryson z.B. wie der Dodo ausstarb, was es genauer auf sich hatte mit Darwin wer was von wem klaute (Stichpunkt: DNS Helix).

Man bekommt einen guten Eindruck von vielen Wissenschaftlern, aber auch von den Themen an sich. Es ist wie eine kleine Zeitreise durch das Leben (und so ist das Buch auch aufgebaut).

Warum dann nur 4 Punkte und nicht 5? Na ja, für mich ist das Ende etwas zu... sagen wir es mal so; Bryson fängt an zu belehren. Er will uns darauf aufmerksam machen dass wir ja nur eine Erde haben. Das ist alles schön und gut, aber passt irgentwie nicht in ein Buch über Wissenschaft; jedenfalls nicht bei mir. Ich will Information und Fakten und ich will etwas neues lernen und Dinge besser verstehen. Ich will am Ende nicht deprimiert sein weil die Menschheit irgentwie alles kaputt macht.

Aber das ist nur die letzte Stunde oder so und wen's nicht stört, zugreifen!

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A Good Start

Rezensiert am: 25.02.2012

I picked this book up because the review compared Elspeth Cooper with Patrick Rothfuss (whos Kingkiller Chronicles I HIGHLY recommend).

While the book isnt quite as good as Rothfuss' work it never the less is a great book to listen to. The main character Gair struggles to come to terms with his life after his hidden ability to connect with the Song (essentially the flow of magic) gets found out. His struggle to learn more about his gift is one part but the book expands on an entire world where magic breaches the vail and slips in and out of the 'real' world.

While this may sound like something you've read before (it is a standard fantasy premiss after all) I do think that here we have a 'hero' who has great inner struggles that don't connect to him 'having to save the world' (although that may come down the road); it is essentially a struggle to come to terms with himself and his surroundings. It's a story about loss, dealing with that loss, finding a new place in the world and dealing with new situations and yes, more loss.

While the main character is set up as immensly powerful he neither feels like the shining white knight nor the pure hearted youth that shows up in so many books. Gair is likeable without feeling like a cliche.

On a side note, I tend to have issue with books that heavily rely on religion to be one of the main factions in a book. I find it a cheap way out because you can always just write 'it was the will of the gods'. It's easy to use religious zealots as counterpoint to a magic users/ heroes. This book however handles the aspect of religion quite well and takes a step back from the pure black/ white aspect that is so often a part of fantasy books. The religion, while portaying your classic anti-magic view, doesn't seem as wooden as in most books and the leader of the religious order is actually quite likable in his own way.

Songs of the Earth is a good 'read', the writing is enjoyable and Allan Corduner does an excellent job portraying the characters and accents without being annoying. I look forward to the other books of the series.

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Fantastic

Rezensiert am: 19.02.2012

While waiting for Robert Jordan's WOT series, I picked up the Kingkiller Chronicles more on a whim than anything else.

As I said on my book 1 review (The Name of the Wind), Patrick Rothfuss manages to create fantastic, multilayered characters and a world full of complexity without the reader needing to keep notes on the side to remember who is who and what is what. Complex yes, convoluted no.

The story as it continues in this book adds greater details about Kvothe's life at the University and his journey when he's more or less forced to leave. The world is greatly expanded on, more characters are introduced, not just as page fillers but actual interesting characters, who, even if they do not appear again in the 3rd book, hold their own and are not just fodder for the Kvothe's story.

I don't want to get to detailed on the story but suffice to say, if you enjoyed the first book, chances are high you will enjoy this one as well. Rothfuss' writing is lush and creative, the reader again does an excellent job with the characters and accents without going overboard.

I personally can't wait for the 3rd book to come out, because even if it takes longer than usual, if it is anything like the first two books of the series, if it can hang on to that charm and those brilliant characters, it will be well worth the wait.

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Not half bad

Rezensiert am: 22.08.2011

While waiting for a couple of other series to continue (Wheel of Time, Kingkiller Chronicles and Stormlight Archives) I decided to try this series.

While it is your classic good vs evil fantasy story with your standard character types, I must say I rather like the way this book is written. The writer takes time to introduce the characters properly and while perhaps the action side of fantasy is lacking somewhat (there are battles but nothing epic yet) I feel this is a good setup for what is to come.

I would not call any of the characters or even the story original but with fantasy you usually have your archetypes anyway so I don't mind. The characters and setting are interesting enough to make me want to continue the story.

So if you need something to listen to while waiting for other series to continue, or if you feel like a well written (and performed book) give this a try

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1 Person fand das hilfreich

Excellent 'read'

Rezensiert am: 03.07.2011

While waiting for the WoT series to end I decided to bridge the time with some new audiobooks.

I picked this one up more by accident than anything else but let me say that I don't regret it.

The characters are interesting and well fleshed out, the story is rich and detailed and unlike some other fantasy books it does not take half the audiobook to actually get to the core of the story.

Every character has their own distinct personality and at no point in the story do you get a feeling that parts have been added just to pad the page count. The story feels planned and solid and the narrator does an excellent job conveying the emotions and state of mind of each character. And while some might find it a little irritating, I have to say I rather enjoy the narrators take on the different dialects and accents (which, while underlining story elements are thankfully not overused).

If you want a well written and well read story, complex but not convoluted, with characters that draw you in without necessarily being a cliche (though a hero is a hero), I would suggest giving this story a try. I was skeptical at first but I was proven wrong. This really is a great story and I hope the other two books are just as good.

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3 Leute fanden das hilfreich

Super!

Rezensiert am: 24.04.2011

Für alle die Neil Gaiman nicht kennen und noch nicht mit den längen Büchern anfangen wollen, ist das genau das Richtige.

Die Messerkönigin (Smoke and Mirrors im Englischen) ist eine Sammlung von Kurzgeschichten die genau rüberbringen was Neil Gaiman so genial macht. Es sind kleine skurrile Leute, Feen, Kobolde, alte Omas, Ritter und sonstige Lebewesen, die zu Teil einfact nur ihr Leben leben oder aber das der Anderen auf den Kopf stellen.

Meine absoluten Favorit in diesem Buch:

Ohne Furcht und Tadel (siehe Höhrprobe), eine wunderbare Geschichte in der einer alten Englischen Dame (Mrs. Whitaker) Sir Galahad begegnet... wieso? Na ja, weil sie den Heiligen Gral gefunden hat! Und zwar unter einem alten Fellmantel im Second Hand Laden.

Ich könnte weiterschreiben aber Fazit ist, wer schöne Geschichten mag die sich nicht immer zu ernst nehmen ist hier super bedient. Sie sind nicht alle lustig; es gibt auch ein paar düstere Geschichten aber am Ende ist es genau die richtige Mischung. So wie mit allen Neil Gaiman Büchern (die alle sehr zu emphehlen sind!)

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4 Leute fanden das hilfreich